Monday, August 6, 2012

I'm smack dab in the middle of wedding season, so in order to keep up
with my work flow I needed to take a step back from the blog.

I'm so beyond grateful to be busy working.
I have been meeting new clients, scouting fun locations,
and going on some fabulous adventures with my couples and families.

In between shooting, processing, and editing...I have managed to sneak in a few days off to hang
with the family, and even catch a few hours of sleep that I seem to always be chasing. ; )

***

Now let's get caught up a bit!

They're one of my favorite couples. My first wedding couple to be specific.
They gave me a gift, an opportunity, to achieve a goal that I thought was far in my future.

Shooting a wedding is some serious business. It's a moment that cannot be repeated.
You get one shot to make it happen.
It's nerve wracking.But the benefits out weigh the nerves for me.

The dynamics are complex. It's not just about the couple. It's also about the
relationships around them. It's not everyday that we are surrounded by everyone
in our lives that has meant something to us.

Our guests are the people who are responsible for who we are today.
I adore that about a wedding.
Add that to fabulous decor, details, and amazing attire...and you got yourself one heck of a celebration!

I can't believe that I'm fortunate enough to be a fly on the wall during those moments.

***

I sat with Mindy a few months after her wedding at a local Panera Bread
sipping coffee and sharing tid-bits about our lives.
That day she said a few things to me that I swear changed my life.

I'm not sure what I did to deserve a couple like Mindy and Shawn,
or all of the fabulous couples there after, but I know for sure that each person,every single one has effected me deeply.

It's not, and never will be just business here in my world. It's personal.
It's impossible to not feel attached in some way for me.

My clients have restored my faith in the human race to be quite honest.
I know. I totally sound like a dork, but it's true.
In my 'last life' I was pushing papers at a bank, and dealing with numbers,
while the folks around me only cared about the bottom line.

Now my life revolves around people who are blissfully happy.
New parents coddling their first newborn, or a family welcoming a new sibling.
Happy events, wonderful milestones and couples who found their 'forever'.

Everyday people relishing life, and enjoying the minutes that slip by us to fast for us to catch.

Some would call it luck to have a job that you love. I call it hard work.
Yes. I love what I do...but I have worked many sleepless hours to make it happen.
Work is not just taking pictures for me.
Work is also trying to find the happy balance between my love for 'it', my family and my home.
It's not easy.

While it's not easy, there is not a day that goes by that my heart is not filled with gratitude for getting the chance to see the possibilities that were laid before me.
What's amazing is that we all have these endless possibilities whether we choose to believe that or not.

Maybe I'm hopefully optimistic, or overly enthusiastic at times, but I find you can't hide happiness.
This line of 'work' makes me dang giddy.

So if we should meet one day and I'm smiling from ear to ear,
or talking a mile a minute in a overly animated manner...please don't write me off as a crazed lady.
Even if at times that's what I am at home.

I hope you will know that I'm just as excited as you are about the moments
you are giving me the wonderful privilege to document.

A photograph to me is a gift of memories that keep on giving.
I want you to be able to re-live the joy, fun, the year, your age, the newness once more.
I want you to have a tangible memory that would otherwise be lost if not for a picture.

So enjoy the moment for all that it's worth, the time and circumstances may never come again.
But rest assured the feelings will...when you see the photographs.

***

Mindy has come back and referred more clients then I can count time and time again.
I'm forever grateful for her faith in me before I had it in myself.

I had the awesome privilege to see her last month when a new bundle arrived
and made her family a bit bigger. Again.

And again, I get a chance to go to 'work' and feel as if my feet has wings.

Going my way?

Hey, hot stuff!

A friend for life...

Happiness...

Contentment...

To see where it all began with this fabulous family, you can check out their memories here!

To see my latest engagement sessions and weddings, please check out the new blog here!